306 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL 



September 



storers that are all right in color and 

 temper." 



Note well that this grand old man, 

 the associate editor, a leading light 

 in bee literature, again and again 

 and again, in his few brief words 

 quoted, makes the man the dominat- 

 ing influence, the pivotal point, the 

 chief and prime factor, insuring suc- 

 cess in apiculture. He himself is a 

 living example of the truth of the 

 statement. 



Banff, Scotland. 



No. 25 -Honey-Producing 

 Plants 



By Frank C. Pellett. 

 Photo by J. M. Buchanan. 



WE have previously presented 

 the picture of one species of 

 boneset (March, 1915), and 

 now, through the courtesy of J. M. 

 Buchanan, of Tennessee, we are able 

 to offer another. The first one shown, 

 Eupatorium urticaefolium, is common 



in western Iowa woodlands. Although 

 the bees get some honey from it, it is 

 not the best species for honey. E. 

 perfoliatum is reported as a honey 

 plant of considerable importance in 

 several of the northeastern states 

 and Canada. It is commonly known 

 as thoroughwort. 



The picture shown herewith is Eu- 

 patorium ageratoides, a species com- 

 mon in the south, Tennessee to Geor- 

 gia, and to some extent in Alabama. 

 It is also found in the north, being 

 listed from Canada and New England. 



According to Mr. Buchanan's testi- 

 mony this species is common over the 

 state of Tennessee, but only yields 

 honey in the northern part. He re- 

 ports the honey to be a light amber 

 of strong flavor. The yield comes in 

 August and September. 



There are 475 species of Eupa- 

 torium known, many of them found 

 in tropical America. Some are found 

 in Europe, Asia and South America, 

 so that the plants have a very wide 

 range. Forty-five or more species 

 are common to North America. 

 Whether all, or nearly all, yield 

 hcney we have no records to prove. 



BONESET, COMMONLY FOUND IN THE SOUTH. 

 (Photo by J. M. Buchanan.) 



Locating Your Apiaries 



N these days of high prices many 

 of our young beekeepers will be 

 seeking to increase their hold- 

 ings in bees and some of them will 

 wonder just what should govern the 

 locating of home yards or of out- 

 apiaries. 



There are four points to be care- 

 fully considered in the choice of api- 

 ary locations. The very best places 

 for honey flora should be chosen. 

 The apiary site should be easily ac- 

 cessible. It should have proper pro- 

 tection, and, lastly, overstocking and 

 overlapping of ranges should be 

 avoided. 



Flora 



Probably a large number of ex- 

 panding beekeepers will prefer to re- 

 main in their present locations rather 

 than risk a move to new fields, even 

 if the flora of the new section seems 

 more alluring. There is often a great 

 difference in flora within a radius of 

 ten miles or less. One apiary may 

 have access to early fruit bloom 

 which will stimulate the bees for the 

 main harvest, another may have ad- 

 vantage of fall flowers which will as- 

 sure the colonies going into winter 

 with bountiful stores, while a third, 

 may have such a remarkably favor- 

 able main crop flora that it over- 

 balances the advantages of the other 

 two. 



Choose then, first, the location 

 which seems the most favorable for a 

 main crop flow, whether it be alfalfa, 

 clover, sweet clover, basswood, or 

 sage. But in doing so do not ignore 

 the lesser honey plants which may 

 do little in yielding surplus, but 

 which may go a long way towards 

 determining the condition of your 

 bees for the main crop. Among these 

 may be mentioned fruit bloom and 

 dandelions in spring, sweet clover in 

 midsummer, and the fall flowers later 

 on. In every locality the list of these 

 minor plants will be different. It is 

 your task to find out just what your 

 section offers. 



The white clover producer may 

 look with favor on the minor flow 

 from fruit bloom, while the bee- 

 keeper with sweet clover as a main 

 crop may want to use the light white 

 clover flow to build up his colonies. 

 Accessibility 



An apiary should be easily accessi- 

 ble to the owner. This is even more 

 imperative now than it was in the 

 days when the automobile and light 

 trucks had not begun to make in- 

 roads into the tasks of the horses. 

 Not only should the apiary be acces- 

 sible to vehicles, but the location 

 should also be of a sufficiently 

 smooth nature so that the work of 

 hauling the honey out or of carrying 

 it will be made as easy as possible. 

 Protection 



Avoid placing your apiaries where 

 they will be exposed to the full 

 sweep of the winds. For the northern 

 climate a gentle slope to the south 

 ii desirable. Lacking this, a location 

 behind a natural windbreak of trees 

 or shrubbery is good, or if necessary 

 an artificial windbreak may be con- 

 structed. 



